Speed control of induction-motors.



D. C. PRINCE.

SPEED CONTROL OF INDUCTION MOTORS. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 17, 1917.

Patented Apr. 22, 1919.

ICOMFENSA TING WIND/{6S David. C.'P1r-'nce, b s .xrttorney.

I ,sTATns 'IATENT OFFICE.

DAVID C. PRINCE, OF SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SPEED CONTROL OFINDUCTION-MOTOBS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID C. PRINCE, a citizen of .the United States, residing at Springfield, county of Sangamon, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Speed Control of Induction-Motors, of which the following is a specification.

- My invention relates to the speed control nous, synchronous and supersynchronous speeds, that its operation at each selected speed will be certain and stable for all motor loads within the limits for which the motor is designed, that the operation during the transition from one speed to another will be dependable regardless of the speeds be-' tween which the transition occurs, andthat the speed variations throughout the entire range will be effected gradually, safely and with certainty.

The present invention will be more readily understood if reference be first made to the phenomena observed when it is attempted to carry the speed of an induction motor from a subsynchronous' to a synchronous value by means'of an ordinary rotary converter, the alternating current side of which is electrically connected to the phase wound induction motor secondary and the direct current side of which is connected to a clirect current dynamo electric machine, the voltage of which may be changed both in amount and direction. With this arrangement if the induction motor be without load it is possible to raise the speed thereof through synchronism by decreasing the voltage, applied to the direct current end of the converter, to substantially zero, then reversing and increasing said voltage. 1 This manipulation of the voltage causes the rotary to decelerate, reverse and accelerate and is accompanied by a tendency on the part of the induction motor to respond to the changes, effected in the circuits of the sec- I Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Apr. 22, 1919.

Application filed March 17, 1917. Serial No. 155.453.

ondary thereof by the rotary, and hence to pass through synchronism. In the above described operation, however, even when the induction motor is without load, it usually happens that the converter requires several chances before it succeeds in dragging the induction motor through synchronism. In this operation it has been observed that the rotary will revolve slowly in the over-syn chronous direction, while the speed of the induction motor increases, and then the converter will break out of step, make a quick fractional revolution and apparently catch on the next cycle, this process being repeated a time or two until the motor reaches a stable over-synchronous speed. When the induction motor is loaded to any considerable percentage of full load, it becomes wholly impossible to drag the induction motor through synchronism.

The principal cause of this instability at low induction motor slips is the sensitivene'ss of the converter to the phase angle displacement therein which results from the inductance of the direct current circuit in which the direct current side of the converteris included. If the said direct current circuit were perfectly non-inductive the conditions therein would instantly respond to the requirements of the induction motor and no large angle of phase displacement would occur in the rotary converter. Because of the inductance in said direct current circuit, however, there are periods of discrepancy between the input and the output of the converte which results in the acceleration of the converter and such a phase displace- 'ment therein that the set breaks down. I

overcome these difliculties and attain the objects of my invention by reducing to the necessary extent the inductance of the direct current circuit and to thisend I not only propose to design the cable layout to have minimum inductance, but also to provide said direct current dynamo-electric machine, or both said direct current dynamo-electric machine and rotary converter, with means to substantially reduce their inductance and hence the inductance of the direct current circuit in which they are included. These means, preferably, comprise windings ar ranged in inductive relation with the armatures so as to facilitate the changes in current therein. These windings may be short circuited or squirrel cage windings in which,

upon a change in armature current, a cur- 7 rent will be induced which willtenidto preventa change in 'fiux due tothechange'in armature current, or they -may'be' compensating windings connected in series with the armatures and adapted to "develop an M. M.;F. equal and opposite .to the M. M. F.

developed by the current in the armatures'.

Also in some instancesiitisiidesirableeto modify the IGSPOllSlVGIlGSS' of the converter toechangeszin torque by theme of afiywheel,

the inertia efiect otwhich, together with that i. of the rotating element: of' the converter, functi ns. to; make thesspeedachanges 15' r of the convertersmore;gradual. A better understanding, ofrmy. lnventron 7 may be had byreferring-to :the accompany- 1 ing drawings, in which :rltlgurei 1; s o a diagrammatic view illustrating an embodiment of my invention in which-the"field poles of the rotary. converter and of .the directcurrent dynamo-electric .rnachine, electrically connected thereto,.-are provided withsquirrelgcage windings; and Fig.2 :lS: a partial diagrammatic View showing the rotary converter and the-direct current dynamo-electrio 1 machine, electrically; connected :thereto, provided with SGLIGS compensating wind- 7 ings, instead of squirrel cage-windings;

Referring to Fig. i .1, vthe induction motor '1, whose :speed it is the object of=.mycinven- 'tion" to. control, is connected by} means of: a

three-poleiswitch, 1; to; the supply. mains; .2.

' The-secondary of isaidamoto'r isprovided with slip rings 3,:electricallyv connected :by "meansofrconductors to -theeshp. rings of a rotary converter 0,: having a separately excited field winding F and; having 2 field polesprovidedr with a; squirrel cage winding *6. I In the: conductors 4 are :insertedstartin resistances '7z'ad-a ted to be-.-short -cirinduction, motor I with;. a =:;'short circuited The direct currentendiofathe rotary convert-er. G is iconnectedby: means; ofaconductors and 11 to direct.- current:dynamoielec- :tric'machine D having fieldvwindingsF and field poles-provided with aisqnirrel cage 'winding .12; The armature of" :the ClYIIZLmOTEIBCt/IlG' machine D; is; mounted: upon a shaft-which carries thetarmaturecof a directcurrent exciter- E. and the rotor ofzan 1 alternating current; machine; -HQ

The "dynamo-electric machine: D/during one period 1 of its operation functions as o a -motor, being supplied 2 with :energy airom the rotary converter 0; to drive ithefialternating, current machine *H which delivers energy 'to the-mains '2 throughieadsf 18 and a three-pole switch 14L. iAt another a period of its operation {the dynamo-electric ::ma

chine D functions as a jgeneratorto supply energy to the rotary eonverter being driven at this time bythe alternating current m-achine' H'; operating as: an-induction "motor and supplied with energy from sup- ,ply, mains, 2 .th.r.o.ugh the three-pole switch [1e and the conductors 13;

If the inertia of the rotating element of J the rotary converter C be insufiicient topro- .duce; the idesinedr' gradual response thereof to changes in torque, a fly wheel 15 may be mounted upon (the converter shaft. The ,IfiBl(1-iWlndlI1g- Fc; ofithe rotary.converter C and .thenfield:windingrF ,of thedynamd 3 electric machined) are adapted toilbe; :ener- --gized:by: currentvsupplied:from :the :exeiten E. 5 Thesstreng thaendzdireetionl ofsthe fizeld F arezvdetermined :by; the operation-of; :the

controller K in a manner hereinafter idescrihed.

'lheacontrol-ler .LK; iscprovided swith at pivoted arm l6-icarr ying relativelysinsulated contact membersil'i; l8eandil9. i'lhe contact :memhen 17;;is adapted, :throughout the entire iniovementrrbf ithe -1controller arm: 16,

"t0: electric allyegengage vwitlrzthe arceshaped contact-:- which vis: electrically;-connected means of a-lead 21. giAdaptedato-en-ga ge with the; movahlegacontactx 17 tare alsor proivided relatively: =insu1ated: are shaped c011ttt0t85r22 1 and 1 24, the & fiormeriribeingpiin iiengagement during one portionzof the movement of the controller arnr and thedatter; during another portion. Go'ntactQEZ is grou1ided through. a

resistance 23qandncontact24:2 l-is grounded ,.dire c tly., v

Engaging with then-movable :contact 18 thronghoutthe entire-range of -its. movement is 1 an :arcssh aped:contact; 25, I .oneuend :of

v whiclris; comieetedx-through; the lead-:26 ate the eXciter E; Adapted to engagevwith the -,contact 18aareQaro-shaped icontacts 27and V 28,- fthe: former: beingnn-iengagement; during one-portion otsthesmovement ref: the conwtact' JISiandQtIieFlatter} during another .fplor zti-onvofrsaid ;moveI-nent. e-Thewcontactz28-z is connected: thretighigithe :lead 429? with ions 7 :terminalarof: then-field: F sofiithe 1' dynamo- .electric.1niachine.nfl). :.A;daptednto;v engage 7 iiw -iththe movable contact l9sare are-shaped 1 contacts-1230'; and: 3.1, are; former f being .ain

engagement during 0118POItlOI1 OfIi1;h8

moveinentvof; saiducontact 19 and athe. :la-tter during another; portionaofis'aid movement. The, contactia3lr isl connected to another dynamo-electric maehineiDfibyomeansr of :the

-" lead':32. Adapted."to-engageawith;the mov able contact. :19; are} also; providedxseginental contacts 33;-rand;34 :EBetween-zz-the contacts 33 land also =betweeni-thevcontacts 3 L scare interposed siiitable resistance sections. The

outermost contact '38- andrthe outermost :con

tact-34L -are grounded. Contact 27 is elec trically connected to. contact; 31', and conposition. Mounted upon the shaft of the controller. arm 16 is 7 arranged a gear 37 adapted to cooperate'with a rack 38, with one end of which cooperates a. dash pot 39.

The portion of the system shown in Fig. 2 differs from the corresponding portion of the system illustratedin Fig. 1 in that compens'atingwindings 4:1 and 42 are employed in connection with the rotary converter C and the dynamo-electric machin D'respectively instead of the squirrel cage windings Sand 12.

' As the mode of operation of both modifications,'shown in Figs. 1 and 2, are the same, the method of operating the system will be described with particular reference to Fig. 1. Let it be assumed that the system is operating with the controller arm 16 and the various switches in the positions illustrated. With the controllerarm in this position all of the resistance will be eliminated from the circuit of the field winding F of the dynamo-electric machine D. The voltage of the direct current machine D will, therefore, have its maximum value and consequently the speed of the converter and theslip'fre- "quency of the energy supplied by the induction motor secondary to the alternating current side of the converter will be a maximum. The induction motor I will therefore be operating at the..mini1num speed. If, now, thecontrollerarm 16 be moved in a clockwise direction, the voltage of the dynamo-electric inachineiD will be decreased by reason of the insertion, in series with the field'F of the resistance portions interposed between the segmental contacts 33.

*As the voltage of the direct current machine D is gradually decreased, the speed of the rotary converter will likewise decrease as will also the slip frequency of the energy transferred from the induction motor secondary to the converter. The speed of the induction motor therefore will increase toj When the controller arm 16 in 'it'sclockwise movement passes from the position in which the movablecontact 19 engages with the innermost segmental contact 33 to a position where contact 19 engages with the innermost contact 34, the field of the dynamo-electric machine D, and hence the voltage thereof, is reversed and, furthermore', the movable contact 17 passes out of engagement with the contact 22 and into engagement with the contact 24, thereby removing the resistance 23 from thecircuit of the field F of the rotary converter. The reversal of the voltage of the-direct current machine D results, of course, in a reversal of the voltage applied to the direct current side of the converter, and hence develops a torque tending to decelerate the converter. The speed of the converter will then be gradually brought to zero, and subsequently will accelerate in the opposite direction. As the speed of the converter approaches zero, the slip frequency of the'induction motor secondary will likewise approach zero, and hence the speed thereof will approach synchronism. When the direction of rotation of the rotary converter reverses, and the speed thereof accelerates from zero, energy with a frequency increasing from zero and with a reversed phase order will be supplied by the converter to the secondary of the induction motor and will cause the speed of said secondary to increase to supersynchronous values. Subsequent movement of the controller arm 16 in a clockwise direction will result in an increase of the direct current voltage applied to the converter and, consequently, an increase in the speed of the converter and in the speed of the induction motor.

I conceive that various modifications of my invention may be made and I accordingly do not desire to be limited to the exact arrangement shown, but seek to cover, in the appended claims, all such modifications and arrangements as fall within the scope and spirit of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure as Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. The combination, with an induction motor having a phase wound secondary, of means for controlling the speed thereof comprising a rotary converter and an adjustable source of direct current voltage, the alternatincr current side of the converter being electrically connected to said induction motor secondary and the direct current side of the converter being connected to said direct current source and means for reducing the inductance of the direct current circuit including said direct current source and said rotary converter.

2. The combination, with an induction motor having a phase wound secondary, of means for controlling the speed thereof comprising'a rotary converter and a direct current dynamo-electric machine adapted to operate either as amotor or as a generator, the

alternating current side of the converter bemotor having a phase Wound secondary of means of varying the speed thereof from sub-synchronous to super-synchronous values comprising a rotary converter, an adjustable and reversible source of direct current voltage, the alternating current side of said converter being electrically connected to said induction motor secondary and the direct current side of said converter being connected to said direct current source, means for reducing the inductance of the direct current circuit including said direct current source and said rotary converter, and means for decreasing the voltage of said source to a low value, reversing said voltage, and then increasing said voltage.

11. The combination With an induction motor having a phase Wound secondary of means for varying the speed thereof from sub-synchronous to super-synchronous values comprising a rotary converter, a direct current dynamo-electric machine, the alternating current side of said converter being electrically connected to said induction motor secondary and the direct current side of said converter being connected to said dynamo-electric machine, means for reducing the inductance of the direct current circuit including said dynamo-electric machine and said rotary converter, and means for decreasing the field of said dynamo-electric machine, then simultaneously reversing the direction of the field of said dynamo-electric machine and increasing the field of said converter, and subsequently increasing the field of said dynamo-electric machine.

12. The combination with an induction motor having a phase wound secondary of means for varying the speed thereof from sub-synchronous to super-synchronous values comprising a rotary converter provided with means for causing the speed thereof to respond gradually to changes in torque, a direct current dynamo-electric machine, the alternating current side of said converter being electrically connected to said induction motor secondary and the direct current side of said converter being connected to said dynamo-electric machine, means for reducing the inductance of the direct current circuit including said dynamoelectric machine and said rotary converter, and means for decreasing the field of said dynamo-electric machine, then simultaneously reversing the direction of the field of said dynamo-electric machine and increasing the field of said converter, and subsequently increasing the field of said dynamoelectric machine.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 13th day of March, 1917.

. DAVID C. PRINCE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0." 

